


The Clock Tower That Never Stops

by Mistah_J (JStomp)



Series: Another World [2]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 14:46:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1652477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JStomp/pseuds/Mistah_J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is this rumor of a clock tower in the snowy mountains that never stops running for eternity. The view of the moon up there is the largest and the stars there are the brightest. That legend is what drove Nam Woohyun, age 21 to a journey beneath the dark night sky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Clock Tower That Never Stops

Nam Woohyun has a dream unlike others. It is not as grand and practical as the dreams of other people—making it big in the cities where the lights never sleep, or maybe even owning a huge plantation—to be the boss of hundreds of farmer and gaining a huge amount of money.

No. Nam Woohyun is just a simple person, he is a man with simple dreams.

In a way his dream is more impossible to achieve than other people's dream. But it is something he, with his limited resources can do.

Nam Woohyun wants to reach the end of the world. His reason? To find answers.

There is a legend of a clock tower in the snowy mountains at the end of the world. And in it, Woohyun hopes to find his answers.

The rucksack on his back felt heavy—filled with supplies to last a week in the wilderness.

After that, Woohyun has to depend on himself to survive.

_This is it. There is no turning back._

He took a tentative step forward, not daring to look back at the village that he grew up in, and lived in for all of his life.

His knees are wobbly as he took another step forward, the weight on his foot crushing the dry leaves that have gathered on the forest floor.

Woohyun willed himself to take a step after step, each one steadier than the one preceding it.

_Crunch, Crunch, Crunch_

Before he knew it, the village was out of sight already. He had done something he never thought of doing fourteen days ago—leaving.

 

**_Fourteen Days Ago_ **

Even before the first crow of the rooster, Nam Woohyun was already awake. Everyone in the village already was—preparing for another day of hard labor.

Their village, unlike others, was nameless and isolated. It was just a small community of people living in the same area—not something a caravan passes by regularly, so the village itself must be self-sufficient and independent.

Their food may not be as tasty without the salt and spices the caravan sells but at least they have food—meat from the forest surrounding the village, crops from the few farms they have there, and fish from the stream of river where they drink from too.

Woohyun is one of the few people in the village who has a patch of land to farm on.

Sometimes though, caravans get lost in the wilderness and finds its way to the village. These occasions are highly taken advantaged by the villagers, trading their goods with the caravans before they head back to the cities.

These caravans did not only bring in supplies and goods during their journey, but stories as well. They told of the rapid rise of the use of machinery, the technological advance in the cities and the big opportunities there.

It had inspired some of the villagers who wanted a better life to head to the city. Two of these people are very close to Woohyun. And as of a year ago, his friends Myungsoo and Sungyeol had been added to the list as well.

Woohyun, even though he knew he would miss them, didn't join the two who had bright future in the cities. He is content with his life in the village.

There are also the legends that the caravans always speak about. They say that on the edge of the world, in the snowy mountains, is a huge clock tower. On several occasions, travellers who went way up north would hear bells chiming, and once someone even saw a faint black figure falling down from the sky.

It is just a word of mouth however, a mere legend to pass time. No one actually believed it, after all the world is round and not flat.

Nam Woohyun was one of those people.

He is a simple man, he believes what is deemed to be true—and not paying heed to mere gossips. He sticks to his daily routine of waking up early, taking care of his grandmother, going to the fields to work, coming back during noon for lunch,  working at the fields again and then going home for good for supper and bedtime.

Occasionally, he may wander to the village proper—to buy things he needed; meat, fish, lumber, improvised medicine that other people make in the village; other times it is he who is selling his crops during harvest time.

In fact, everyone in the village is accustomed to this kind of living. And the only deviation to these is the accidental arrivals of caravans.

And that hadn't happened in a long while.

 

_Crash!_

 

Well, until now.

Woohyun looked at the cart that nearly run over and ruin his crops. He was already preparing to go back home and rest.

There were two men huddled around the two-wheels-missing, and obviously seen-better-days broken cart.

"Shit, why did this break down." A short man with thick lips, pouted—poking at the remaining wheels.  "It rolled away downhill to nowhere, seriously."

"Dongwoo hyung, it is okay." Another short man—more muscular than the other replied. "We might be able to find our way back easily."

"Hoya, this place is uncharted. I doubt it." The man named Dongwoo sighed.

"Uh... Excuse me..." Woohyun said, eyes fixed on his plant which was nearly squished. "Your cart, it would kill my crops."

Dongwoo glanced at him and sighed again. "See, there is nothing. There is just this dirty looking and farmer... We are nowhere."

.

.

"Wait... Farmer?" The man stared at Woohyun in shock. "Hoyaaa~"

He started hitting the younger one's arm. While the other rolled his eye. "I already saw it way earlier than you. Why did you think I said that?"

"You did?" Dongwoo asked the younger guy, gasping again.

"Well it is kind of hard to ignore someone who smells like poo." Hoya deadpanned.

"I don't smell like poo, it is called fertilizer smell." Woohyun argued.

"And what does this fertilizers contain?" Hoya asked.

"Uhhh, dead animals, dead leaves, animal droppings. Mostly animal droppings though." Woohyun started listing the ingredients, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"See. Animal droppings! That makes you a poo-head!" Hoya concluded.

"I am not a poo-head!"

"You are!"

"Am not!"

 

Suddenly, a loud grumbling sound came inside the cart. And a grumpy, small-eyed man rose up from the cart, parting the white covering on it.

"Why the hell are you so noisy?" He snapped. "And why the hell does it smell like damn poo?"

"Hyung... We already crashed here and only now have you woken up. Nice." Hoya snorted.

"Hyung, hyung, hyung! We got lured by this poo man who probably uses the damn poo as his shampoo!" Dongwoo cried dramatically. "Oh, that rhymed... Anyway, he would go turn as to fertilizer hyung! He kills animals for it!"

"Dongwoo calm down." The small eyed man sighed. "We would be fine. This man don't use humans for that purpose."

"But hyung! Hamsters and dinosaurs are animals!" Dongwoo cried, but was obviously ignored.

Instead the man sighed and looked at his surroundings. "Where are we?"

He asked the farmer who was arguing with Dongwoo.

"This place has no name." He shrugged. "There indeed is a way back to the cities but we don't know how long it does take—we haven't tried it yet."

The small eyed man again ignored Dongwoo's cries of "We're doomed, I knew this Poohead is dangerous." and instead grabbed a roll of parchment from his black messenger bag.

"So, where are we hyung?" Howon asked the small eyed man, peeking over the paper.

"Supposedly, we fell from here." The small eyed man traced the probable path from the high road they took. "There is a river just near us, pointing at the side of the village's water source. And the high mountains can be seen here over there, albeit far away."

He traced a triangle with the said landmarks on the map, and inside it is a small red cross mark by the riverside—noted as 'delivery'.

"We are here." The small eyed man said. "I actually have something to do here, what a coincidence. Anyway, it seems like it would take us a week or two to reach the nearest city."

"Then, that means our stocks would perish by then." Howon murmured. "Our boss would have our head for that hyung."

"Yeah he would, and you also ruined his cart." The small eyed man pointed out. "But this isn't a village for nothing, just sell everything tomorrow and I'll also fix the cart."

"Sounds good." Howon sighed in relief before turning to Woohyun. "Do you guys have any form of money here? You know, Gold, Silver, Copper?"

"What do you think of us, cavemen?" Woohyun scoffed, quite offended that the man talked to him like he doesn't understand those things.

The small eyed man smacked the head of his muscular companion. "Forgive this person's insolence, he is just new in travelling with caravans. My name is Kim Sunggyu, this is Lee Howon and Jang Dongwoo. And your name is?"

"I'm Nam Woohyun." Woohyun took the offered hand and marvelled on how soft it actually is— _Does the city people always have this kind of hands?_

"Can we stay here for the night?" Sunggyu asked with a shy smile, trying to withdraw his hands from Woohyun's grasp who is still keen in holding it. "Woohyun-sshi."

"Uh, what?" He asked, as if dazed. "Oh yeah, you can stay the night here."

He let go of Sunggyu's hand and the other beamed at him, his eyes crinkling, and Woohyun felt his breath catch in his throat—it was silly, but he could feel a whole lot of things hidden underneath the man's happy smile. His eyes hold a whole lot more than Woohyun could ever dare imagine.

"It's getting dark already, I'll fix the cart tomorrow morning." Sunggyu said. "We'll also stay here for few days to restock... Is that okay with you Woohyun-sshi?"

"Neh it is." Woohyun agreed hesitantly. "I only have two free rooms though, including mine."

"Then we would have to share." Sunggyu replied, he pointed at the two who were already making some sort of an agreement. "There's no way I'd room with either of them."

"Oh, I'll we're here already." Woohyun suddenly halted. "This is my house."

The house was primarily made of wood, and although it was small it looked well kept. There are small wooden furniture inside but it was rarely used.

A hacking cough broke inside one of the rooms and Woohyun hurriedly rushed to the room.

Curious, the trio left to follow him but opted to stay out of the room—hanging around outside of the door way.

There on the bed is a frail-looking elderly woman whom Woohyun is attending to. The cloth on her hand had traces of blood in it, she was coughing blood.

"Grandma, are you alright?" Woohyun asked, immediately giving her a glass of water. But the old woman had just broke into a fit of coughs again.

Suddenly, Sunggyu rushed in and made the woman sit up, rubbing her back slowly to calm her down.

He motioned for Woohyun to make her drink as he took her pulse. "What's her ailment?"

"I don't know..." Woohyun replied, trying to keep his hand steady.

Sunggyu then tried to listen to her breathing. "Her lungs are failing her... You should probably elevate the upper side of her bed."

Woohyun nodded, taking note to some wood the next day. "Is this curable?"

Sunggyu bit his lips before shaking his head and staring at the old woman. "She doesn't have long too, it would only take a week."

It came more of a whisper to himself but Woohyun still heard him clearly.

"What... A week...?" Woohyun tried to process what he just heard. His grandmother who raised him since the start will die in a week, according to some stranger. "That's impossible... How the hell did you estimate that number? You cannot put a time limit on a life of a person!"

But Sunggyu didn't even flinch, instead he just closed his eyes and shook his head fast, before looking at Woohyun with blank, grave eyes—hardly joking and not retracting the statement nor saying sorry.

"It's just my observation. You can still go believe whatever you want." Even his voice is blank.

Woohyun gritted his teeth, he shouldn't have welcomed these rude strangers.

"Just make sure she doesn't choke or anything, and it would be easier for her." Sunggyu walked out of the room.

"You know, he is right." The old woman croaked. "I don't have much time left, my age has caught up on me."

"Grandmother, please don't lose hope like that." Woohyun replied in a soft voice. "He is wrong, I'm sure of it. You are a strong lady right? You can overcome this."

"Mmm, but I'm not the Nam Jihyun I am before." The grandmother sighed. "It gets tiring too, Woohyun."

"Grandma..."

"Go on. Attend to your guests." The old woman smiled. "I'll be fine now."

"If you say so." Woohyun sighed and stood up, facing the two who are still watching outside. "I'll show you your room."

The said room had only one bed, but both had said it was fine with them.

"Where is the other one?" Woohyun asked, not wanting to use his name.

"Oh, hyung is probably outside, completing the map or tinkering with metals." Howon answered. "He always spends his time like that ever since he found us."

"He found you?" Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, hyung wasn't a part of our caravan." Dongwoo replied. "Anyway, Howonnie and I got separated with the group and hyung found us almost being eaten by the wolves. It was awesome, you should have seen him throwing those sticks of fire that explodes."

"Hyung is a giant mystery." Howon said, seeing the big question in Woohyun's face. "He's mainly a cartographer but he knows mechanics also and a bit of alchemy. He had travelled the world to complete that big map of his, and he has this thick journal that we never saw the content—it was locked."

"His map was big." Woohyun remembered the big parchment earlier. "How did he manage all of that?"

"Most of it was passed down. His family has been doing for generations." Dongwoo replied. "But he said he had start the travel with his father so he really knows a lot. Without him we would still probably be lost without anywhere to go. I mean everything is there in his map, well with some few exceptions."

"Few exceptions?" Woohyun asked.

"Don't mind him, his head is being stuffed by legends again." Howon snorted.

"It's true!" Dongwoo argued. "That tower really exists, my appa saw it once."

"Dongwoo, everyone and their grandmothers had claimed they saw the tower or had met  _him_." Howon snorted again. "There is no end in the world."

"Him?" Woohyun asked, he was familiar with the legend—all caravans loved to tell about it. But he didn't particularly know anything about the said black figure who lives in the clock tower.

"Yeah, him... The clockmaker who records everything that happened in his tome." Dongwoo replied. "He has been immortal and cannot die since day one. Some he often leaves the tower to record those things but some are convinced he is just there at his tower, trying to make himself die."

"Why would he even try to kill himself? Living long is good. Living forever is better." Woohyun said bitterly. "If only my grandmother could."

"Trust me it's not, don't wish for something as horrible as that." A voice said from the doorway and the three slightly jumped. "Anyway, I just looked more closely at the cart. We may need to make one from scratch since the wood is old and brittle already."

"Okay, we'll fix it tomorrow after we sell the stocks." Hoya nodded. "Have you finished mapping this place?"

"I have." Was Sunggyu's reply as he held out a well-made village map.

"And your delivery?" Dongwoo asked.

"That... could wait..." Sunggyu replied hesitantly. "We still have some days here. For now we really need to rest, seriously. It's late now."

Woohyun yawned, nodding in agreement. It had been a long day. "So I guess I'll leave you to your own devices too. I need to get up early."

He stood up and stretched his arms, walking out of the room but stopped when he realized Sunggyu was not budging and instead opted to start making himself comfortable on the floor.

And as much as he is angry at the guy, he still cannot let his guest sleep on the floor.

"What are you doing there?" Woohyun asked. "We're sharing rooms."

He then walked away, as soon as the older guy stood up and shuffled after him.

On his room was a bed big enough for two, Woohyun walked over to it, lied on the far end and patted the other. "Sleep here."

"But won't it be..."

"Nonsense. You can sleep here."

"But—"

Woohyun pulled the other down the bed. Making him lie down beside him, their faces inches from each other. "It's fine."

"I'm really sorry..." Sunggyu said softly, looking guiltily at Woohyun. "I shouldn't have said that in front of her."

Sunggyu suddenly looks small and shy, different from his usual confident and reliable demeanour. It left Woohyun gaping because damn it—the older guy was actually biting his lip and fluttering his eyelashes.

In his life of daily routines, he hasn't felt anything like this before. This is foreign to him. It was something he wasn't used to so instead he broke off his stare and asked instead. "So you aren't going to retract the statement?"

"Yes, I'm not. I have seen her sickness before." Sunggyu replied. "I'm just sorry for being tactless."

"I guess I can't be mad at you for your conclusion." Woohyun sighed, finally accepting the fact that Sunggyu firmly believes in his observation. "Just don't mention things like that again."

_I'll just have to make sure it doesn't come true._

"I won't." Sunggyu promised seriously—looking shyly at Woohyun's eye. "Are we good now Woohyun-sshi?"

It looked cute again and Woohyun found himself agreeing very easily—he can't be angry at the older guy for a long time.

"Yes we are. Now let's sleep." Woohyun announced with a grin threatening to show.

Sunggyu nodded in reply quite happy too and it only took him seconds to fall asleep. Meanwhile, Woohyun's thoughts are running very fast just like his heartbeat. They had stayed in the position—just inches away from each other—just a lean away for their lips to meet.

And the very idea of thinking of leaning in made Woohyun restless.

_Thump, Thump, Thump_

_I guess I would have little sleep today._

 

~

**_Blank Point 1_ **

The sounds of footsteps on the wooden floor echoed throughout the whole room. These steps are slow and surefooted—not loud in anyway, but the silence emphasizes the sound.

 _It was always quiet here._  A man wearing a tattered black cloak mused as he scanned the room.  _Well except for the faint sound of the gears, and of course the bells._

There was a table full of flasks by the corner of the room, some of the flasks have weird liquids bubbling inside it while the others are still, with their corks on. They came in different colors and effects, however the object of interest of the man is a certain deep red—almost black mixture being heated with a small fire below.

 _I hope this would do the job._  The man inspected the said flask, until his eyes caught something wrong in the mixture.  _No... This won't do. It is lacking._

The man grabbed the flask and set it aside, not minding the heat and the blisters that formed on his hand.

 _I guess I should try again next time._  He pocketed his injured hand and the cool feeling of a metal instantly greeted him.  _I still have my duties to attend to._

With the same graceful manner of walking, the man exited the room and grabbed rolls of paper, placing them inside a black messenger bag.

After that, he took his trusty tome from one of the shelves and placed them inside the bag. And after a few moments of deliberation, grabbed scraps of metals—broken clock parts and threw it also inside the bag.

 _I wonder what would I be this time?_  He walked towards a door next to the large gears, opening it with his right hand—now free of blisters, and letting the cold winter night air in.

 _Would I be a cartographer, a mechanic or maybe even an alchemist?_  He stepped at the ledge, careful not to fall off, before sitting down with his feet dangling in the air.  _Or would I be a simple traveler?_

 

_Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock_

 

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the clock ticking and the gears moving. Suddenly, the tick became louder and the bells chimed.

 

_11:11_

 

 _Well only one way to find out._  The man smirked at the sound of the bells, and then he jumped.

~

**_Thirteen Days Ago_ **

The first part of the next morning was spent with Sunggyu catching fishes using a spear for breakfast.

There was a still good and working one inside Woohyun's toolbox where he kept his farming stuff.

It belonged to Woohyun's father, but the son never tried learning to use it properly.

The duo was ordered by Sunggyu to gather two different kinds of wood—one of burning and one for making a new cart.

And of course, the almost sleepless Woohyun went on his farm, continuing his harvest that was interrupted the day before. If he did the task fast enough, he can also sell his crops later that day.

Sunggyu came back half an hour later with a bucketful of fresh cleaned fish. The duo came back another half hour later with logs on their shoulders and a basket of fire wood on a basket.

Cooking the fish took another half hour—making them wait for a total of an hour and a half just to eat breakfast.

But that span of time was exactly what Woohyun needed to finish his harvest in his small field.

"Sunggyu-sshi it's so big." Woohyun exclaimed—his mouth watering at the sight

"It's delicious too." Sunggyu replied. "Want to taste it? Open up Woohyun-sshi."

Woohyun flushed. "I can't possibly fit that in my mouth. It's too big Sunggyu-sshi."

"It would be worth it—satisfying. You would like its taste Woohyun-sshi" Sunggyu pushed it against Woohyun's plump lips.

Woohyun meekly nodded as he opened his mouth shyly and engulfed it in one go.

"That wasn't so bad, see? I told you it would fit in your mouth." Sunggyu said happily. "Does it taste good?"

Woohyun nodded happy too, tasting the hot and bit salty meat.

"Eat more fish Woohyun-sshi." Sunggyu scooped another big piece of the fish meat.

Howon was laughing very hard at the interaction and the phrasing of the conversation.

Dongwoo was just staring blankly and was wondering how the hell the two suddenly became close.

~

After the meal, Woohyun took care of his grandma, making an herbal tea out of the plants Sunggyu pointed out for him.

And the said older guy started to chop wood for a new and sturdier cart. He had planned to add metal support to the axles and the base to prevent the cart from breaking easily.

It took a bit more of their time as Sunggyu had been completely meticulous—adding a bit of improvisations here and there.

His hands were precise and fast, knowing exactly what to do as he made a better cart for the duo.

His hands were a bit greasy from the metalwork, and his cheeks have been smudged with grease too.

He looked like a handsome mechanic and that doesn't really help with Woohyun's fascination with him.

Sunggyu finally stood up straight and wiped at the forming sweat on his hairline—smirking. "It's done."

His face brimmed with an odd pride for accomplishing just a simple cart so they suddenly rushed to the newly made cart and found that Sunggyu something more than planned.

The base was layered with a pure metal sheet and the corners and edges have been strengthened with hammered metal plates—adorned with intricate carvings.

The axles was fully greased, as well as the gears connecting it. The wheels are made of rubber-coated metals—with the front ones being more ball like and easy to turn around.

The rest of the cart was made of wood, but had some carvings on it—especially the handle bar where one last improvisation is.

Attached at the dead center of it is a pocket-sized watch and compass combined.

"Hyung... this is..." Dongwoo looked shocked and very grateful at the same time.

"I figured this is the least I can do for letting me tag along with you guys." Sunggyu scratched his head awkwardly.

Howon was immediately all over the cart, admiring the hand work that went to it. "Hyung! You're so awesome."

 _He really isn't that bad._  Woohyun thought, feeling a fluttering feeling in his stomach.

"Hyung!" Dongwoo suddenly tackled Sunggyu and pulled him in a bone crushing hug.

"Yah! Dongwoo-yah! I can't breathe!" Sunggyu whined. "And Howon would kill me!"

Woohyun felt a sting at the sight and Howon is turning red already so he opted to drag Sunggyu away into a protective hug. "Hands off Dongwoo-sshi."

Everyone was startled by his actions and looked at him weirdly. Woohyun coughed awkwardly and announced, "Let's go to the village now, before it gets dark."

He slowly let go of Sunggyu and walked away to gather the crops he would sell.

"What's wrong with him?" Hoya asked.

~

The caravan's goods was sold fast—the villagers buying whatever product they might need and want.

They had been welcomed warmly, everyone was smiling happily with the exception of Sunggyu who looked brooding at the side.

Woohyun who already finished selling his crops (as the duo already bought most of it anyway) approached the older guy whose hands are busy again working on springs and gears.

"Why are you not talking to people here? The one you have business with might be here." Woohyun asked. And even though he doesn't like it he continued. "Besides I saw some girls eyeing you earlier, talk to them."

"Yeah he's here. I already saw him. I'll deliver it tomorrow before we leave." Sunggyu answered quite robotically, his hands still working while he glanced at Woohyun. "Anyway, I don't associate myself with a lot of people—my job requires travelling a lot."

It stung Woohyun knowing that he may never see Sunggyu again after they leave. He was so fascinated by the older guy's demeanour and knowledge in stuff. If he could go with him, he probably will. But he can't he has a grandmother to take care of.

For the first time in his life, Woohyun wanted something more than his simple farming life.

He decided to put aside the thought for a more positive one.  _At least I had the chance to meet him._

"So I guess I'm pretty special then." Woohyun grinned, ruffling Sunggyu's hair.

Sunggyu returned the smile—his eyes disappearing into thin crescents again. "Yeah, you are."

The seriousness and the sparkle in Sunggyu's eye made Woohyun feel heat creep up his cheeks slightly.  _I was just joking._

He coughed awkwardly and tried averting his eye to the bundle of metal in Sunggyu's hands. "So what are you doing, hyung—err Sunggyu-sshi?"

"Hyung is fine." Sunggyu smiled at Woohyun's slip of tongue. "I'm making a pocket watch."

"Wait. You already have one." Woohyun pointed at the watch dangling on the older guy's messenger bag. "Why make another one?"

Sunggyu looked straight at Woohyun's eye, causing the farmer to blush a bit again. "It's for you, Woohyun."

"W-What?" Woohyun sputtered out. "M-Me?"

"I told you, you are special to me." Sunggyu said seriously, enjoying Woohyun's panic at the back of his mind. "See? Dongwoo and Howon has one in their cart."

When Woohyun heard that line, the heat on his cheeks finally subsided so he smacked his head for that.

"Hyung~ You're meaaan!" He hit the laughing guy's shoulder repeatedly.

"Ok, ok." Sunggyu laughed, pulling the younger closer so he can't punch him anymore. "But really, you're special to me."

He said it seriously again and Woohyun felt his heart thumping again.

"Am I special for you too?" Sunggyu asked, leaning to Woohyun—their faces close again.

"No!" Woohyun shouted as he scrambled away. "You're stupid!"

He walked away huffing and Sunggyu just watched him go.

_If only you knew..._

~

They came back to Woohyun's house at sunset with their carts refilled with fresh goods.

The farmer had already made food for them. He was trying to be cheerful but it was obvious he minded the departure of the three strangers who easily had become his friends.

"You'll be leaving tomorrow after breakfast right?" Woohyun asked trying to mask the gloominess.

"Yes, we will." Howon answered.

"I'll make sure to send you off well then." Woohyun still grinned, even if he's especially dreading Sunggyu's leave.

It was awkward after that as no one really wanted to talk about leaving in front of Woohyun.

That was until Sunggyu decided to break the ice and tell stories of all the places he had been in—aware of the stare given by the younger.

He talked about the things he saw up north—the snow-capped mountain ranges. He also talked about the luscious rainforests he had passed through, the hot seaside, the freshwater lakes, and the wide oceans. He also named the cities he had been in, both big and small, recommending the best products for the sake of the duo in the caravans.

He talked about how different places had a different way of looking at things, how things vary greatly in the west from the east.

He mentioned a lot of beautiful sceneries and wonderful places which makes Woohyun want to visit with the traveller.

The time for sleep came and the two fell fast on the bed, laying side to side.

Yesterday the lack of distance had prevented Woohyun from sleeping, but today—even if his heart is still beating madly, he fell asleep easily as soon as Sunggyu shifted and turned in his sleep, grabbing Woohyun in a hug.

_Ba Bum, Ba Bum_

The warmth of Sunggyu's chest on his back served as his lullaby for a peaceful sleep.

~

**_Blank point 2_ **

A man with small eyes woke up at an unfamiliar seashore. He tried to rack his brain for his possible location, however he found nothing.

Scratch that, he knew nothing at all. None, nada—not even his name, or why he was there.

 _I need to ask someone then._  His common sense kicked in, he needed to know his location—and for that he need to find someone.

 _I need to hurry though._  He thought as he watched the position of the sun.  _It would only take 11 minutes and 23 seconds for it to get dark._

How he knew that? He didn't also understand. But he knew he had to start moving if he wants to get somewhere.

He tried lifting his hands and arms to no avail, his body felt so heavy and his strength was lacking; and once again, he had no recollection why.

"Honey!" A woman's voice called, slightly panicked. "There's a man lying on the shore!"

A rustle of footsteps disturbed the peaceful silence of the crashing waves.

Shouting voices of a pair of a man and a woman was heard and he felt he was being shaken rather hard but it was quickly lost as the darkness of sleep consumed him.

He dreamt of nothing but darkness, and it was dreadful. He could practically hear the time passing by, he could hear shouting, laughing, and crying all at the same time but he could not see anything. And he honestly felt scared by it.

He woke up in cold sweat, staring at a ceiling made of dried leaves and mud. The room he was in was small, and he slept on the hard wooden floor with just a wet cloth on his forehead.

He figures it was the house of the couple who had found him. His throat felt incredibly dry, he needed to drink so he tried uttering something which sounded like a loud groan.

After a few minutes, he heard the shuffling of feet again and the couple showed up, holding a container of boiled river water.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked, handing him the container. He nodded. "Do you need anything else?"

The man shook his head, and instead observed the pair while sipping slowly.

The woman is fair-skinned, her lips are plump and red and her eyes are small but wide—still holding a bit of childish innocence.

The male is tanner than the woman, and had a prominent high straight nose and sharp and wide jawline.

"You're lucky we found you there." The man sighed. "You were running high from fever and you were dehydrated. You could have died there."

 _I won't._  A whisper in his mind said. He tried to shake it off his head—closing his eyes in the process.

When he thought he felt okay enough—normal, he opened his eyes again. But he was wrong.

What he was seeing isn't really normal. And he had no explanation for it.

Beside the man's head was a name, and a set of numbers that didn't make any sense. It read:  **000:08:02:01:13:45:23.**

And each second that passed, the last digit changed.

He shifted his view to the woman, who had a different name beside her, and a slightly different number:  **000:08:01:01:45:23.**

The numbers are coming down in sync with the sense of time ingrained within him and looking at it makes his head hurt more so he tried to avert his eyes downward to his lap—that is until he caught of another set of digits.

**069:07:02:12:57:28**

The weird thing is, the name is full of question marks and is settled beside the woman's stomach.

That set of digit slowly changed too and he finally had a bad hunch on what it is. He looked down to his own hands and it really made sense.

_I can't remember my name… No more like I don't have a name anymore._

"Uh, do you happen to have a name we could call you?" The woman asked and he shook his head. "That's hard, you need to have one. How about I name you?"

She hummed in thought.

 _I won't die. I'll never die._  He remembered the whisper in his mind.

"Oh, let's see. Kim is a pretty common last name." She announced. "How about Sunggyu? That seems to fit you well, doesn't it?"

"That's it. Your name will be Kim Sunggyu from now on!"

_Tick, Tick, Tick_

He watched as the string of question marks change slowly. And now what was written was: **Kim Sunggyu, Infinite;**

~

**_Twelve Days Ago_ **

Woohyun woke up on an empty bed, with the comforting heat and pressure dissipated.

"No..." He sat up quickly, scanning the room for even just a shadow of that man, Kim Sunggyu. "No. He—He couldn't have left just like that."

Woohyun got up, sprinting in desperation to the room of the caravan members—just to find it completely empty and neat, as if no one ever stayed there.

He ran out, hoping that maybe they were still outside—fixing all their things, packing or something before their leave after breakfast.

But there was nothing outside in the still dark morning—no flashy carts, just the broken one swept up to the side. No laughter, teasing, no calming voice, only the silence and the sound made by the wind.

"T-They said, they would leave later... but..." Woohyun's form slouched, his eyes moistening—feeling all alone again like he had since the start. "I-I was supposed to..."

He just wanted to spend a little more time with them. He just wanted to stay a bit more with Sunggyu. He was supposed to send them off as happily as he can, but he doesn't even have that chance to do that. They left him, without any warning.

Woohyun trudged back home slowly, all his energy drained. He knew he had to cheer up a bit later for his grandmother's sake. But for now, he just want to curl up his bed—inhaling Sunggyu's scent; which was the only thing he left.

But as he stumbled upon his room he saw something ridiculous he missed earlier in his panic, there was a box, a note and a pocket watch on the place where Sunggyu's head was just last night.

And Woohyun felt crying more when he realized that the watch he got was more intricate, more elegant, and more special than what Hoya and Dongwoo got.

It was made of a pure gold casing adorned with intricate silver curls, and the numerals there were made of thin copper.

And on the inside was a small carving of their faces facing each other, sleeping. Below it was a small etch of: Kim Sunggyu.

He set aside the watch for a while and tried to read the short letter written in a neat handwriting.

_Woohyun-ah, sorry for leaving without any warning. It was for the best. I had to make my delivery very early because I'm afraid of what might happen if I didn't. What would I say? How would I explain it? I don't want to, and I can't._

_Please try to live a happy and normal life, please don't try to find me—marry a nice girl instead. I want to wish you that, but I can't._

_I don't want you to forget about me. I don't want you to forget these past few days. I don't want you to forget that you are special for me._

_I'm selfish, right? But that's what I really am after all._

_-Kim Sunggyu_

Woohyun held the box tightly as he read the letter, having a bad feeling about it.

His tears stream down his cheeks in fat drops, and when his eyes landed on the big letters on the box. It made sense, written there was the name, Nam Woohyun and Nam Jihyun.

They were the recipient of Sunggyu's delivery. Which was why he didn't bother searching around the village before.

He tore open the box and found something unexpected inside. There is two rings inside it, but not just any ring. It was a set he last saw years ago, when he was still a child.

It was their family's ancestral ring, the same one wore by his parents when they got married.

The same one adorning their fingers when they decided to find a better life for their family in the cities. When they left the village with the promise of coming back for Woohyun and Jihyun after they established a stable life there.

And the thing is...

They never came back, not even news of them reached the village.

Woohyun was left all alone with his well-aged grandmother who gets weaker each day.

_Splat, Splat, Splat_

And since that time, he felt the emptiness of feeling alone.

**[Part One: End]**


End file.
